Fennel & Fig Roasted Chicken

SERVINGS: 4 | Prep Time: 15 MINS | Cook Time: 20 MINS

INSTRUCTIONS:

Roasted Chicken

Sprinkle each piece of chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and sear each piece in the dutch oven, starting with the skin side down. Do 2-3 pieces at a time, making sure they aren’t touching to prevent moisture capture, which will cause the chicken to be soggy.

Separate the leafy fronds from the fennel bulb and save in a bowl. Trim and dice the bulb. Discard or save the stalks for another use.

Once the chicken is seared, add another Tbsp of cooking oil to the pan and sauté the garlic, diced fennel bulb and figs on low hear for 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken to the pan, avoiding overlap as much as possible, and sprinkle in the fresh thyme, rosemary and fennel fronds.

Put the chicken into the oven, insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of one of the breast pieces and set the alarm to 163°. “Done” is 165° but there will be carryover in cooking, so if you remove at 163°, it should coast the rest of the way. For meat thermometers that go in increments of 5 degrees, set to 160° and give it another couple minutes after the alarm sounds. Time in the oven will be around 20 minutes.

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and place on a platter to cool, along with the figs, fennel and herb sprigs.

Put the dutch oven on medium-low heat and whisk 1 Tbsp of flour into the drippings until it begins to brown and smell a bit like popcorn.

Whisk the chicken stock in, 1/2 cup at a time, until the mix is smooth and velvety.

Add the lemon juice, 1 Tbsp at a time until the sauce has a bright, clean flavor but is not sour. Salt and pepper to taste.

CRANK UP YOUR COOKING TIP:

White meat, like that from breasts and wings, is very lean and can dry out easily. To prevent this, it should be cooked to 163° internal temperature and allowed to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Dark meat, like that from the leg and thigh, contains more connective tissue which doesn’t start breaking down until a little warmer, around 175° internal temperature. As this tissue breaks down, it also moistens the meat, so dark meat is best at this higher temperature. By cutting the whole chicken into its main parts, you can use a meat thermometer in the white meat to monitor its temperature, remove it at 163, put the thermometer into the dark meat and continue cooking until it reaches 175. The Frigidaire Professional Range comes with a built-in meat thermometer and you can simply set the temperature you want to cook to, instead of guessing how long.

Roasted New Potatoes

Preheat the oven to 400° with a metal baking sheet inside.

Wash and pat dry the potatoes.

In a plastic, zip top bag, toss the potatoes in 1 Tbsp cooking oil, and salt & pepper until evenly coated.

Once the baking sheet has preheated in the oven for at least 10 minutes (after the oven has reached cooking temp), quickly remove the baking sheet and close the oven door to prevent heat loss. Slide the potatoes onto the baking sheet in a single layer, and put the sheet back into the oven (again, quickly).

Roast until tender in the center, about 30 minutes.

Remove the leaves from the oregano and roughly chop. Discard the stems.

Once the potatoes are done, put them in a serving bowl and add the chopped oregano. Toss around to mix evenly, and serve.

CRANK UP YOUR COOKING TIP:

“Cold oil, hot pan” is the key to preventing food from sticking, and it works especially well when roasting potatoes. Always preheat your roasting pans with the oven, before adding food, and coat your food in a small amount of oil. Pans should heat for at least 10 minutes after the oven reaches your cooking temperature. The Frigidaire Professional Range has PowerPlus® Preheat technology, which gets up to temperature in only a few minutes. This is super handy, especially when combined with convection roasting, which also cuts cook time down.

Braised Cabbage

Put a 5 qt stock pot on medium heat on the stove and add the precooked bacon, stirring frequently until some of the fat renders and releases.

Add the sliced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Remove the bacon and onion and add the cabbage. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and pour in the chicken stock.

Add the bacon and onion mix and cover the pot with a lid. Return every 5 minutes to toss the cabbage around until it’s tender, cooked through, and the bacon/onion is evenly dispersed throughout - about 15 minutes.